Jamaica
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaica#Ethnic_origins "Most of Jamaica's population is of African or partially African descent with many being able to trace their origins to the Western and Central African countries of Ghana and Cameroon,60 as well as Europe61 and Asia.62 Like many other anglophone Caribbean countries, many Jamaicans with mixed ancestry self-report as black.63 The prominent black nationalist Marcus Garvey is possibly the most famous Jamaican who was of full African heritage." "Asians form the second-largest group and include Indo-Jamaicans and Chinese Jamaicans.65 Most are descended from indentured workers brought by the British colonial government to fill labour shortages following the abolition of slavery in 1838." History Port Royal :"Port Royal is a village located at the end of the Palisadoes at the mouth of Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1518 by the Spanish, it was once the largest city in the Caribbean, functioning as the centre of shipping and commerce in the Caribbean Sea by the latter half of the 17th century. It was destroyed by an earthquake on June 7, 1692, which had an accompanying tsunami. Severe hurricanes have regularly damaged it. Another severe earthquake occurred in 1907. :Port Royal was once home to privateers who were encouraged to attack Habsburg Spain's vessels at a time when smaller European powers dared not make war on Spain directly. As a port city, it was notorious for its gaudy displays of wealth and loose morals. It was a popular homeport for the English and Dutch-sponsored privateers to spend their treasure during the 17th century. When those governments abandoned the practice of issuing letters of marque to privateers against the Spanish treasure fleets and possessions in the later 16th century, many of the crews turned pirate. They continued to use the city as their main base during the 17th century. Pirates from around the world congregated at Port Royal, coming from waters as far away as Madagascar. :After the 1692 disaster, Port Royal's commercial role was steadily taken over by the nearby town (and later, city) of Kingston." :"Port Royal était le siège du gouvernement britannique en Jamaïque, tout en étant le principal port de pêche et de commerce de l'île au cours du xviie siècle. À cette époque, le port abritait un grand nombre de pirates et de corsaires sous pavillon britannique qui attaquaient les navires français et espagnols. :Le port fut détruit par un grand tremblement de terre le 7 juin 1692, au cours duquel les deux tiers de la ville passèrent sous le niveau de la mer, soit une surface de 45 kilomètres carrés. Après cette catastrophe, l'activité commerciale de l'île se déplaça à proximité dans la ville de Kingston, l'actuelle capitale de la Jamaïque." Similar to , a New World island known to be a pirate paradise. Languages Official languages English :Native to Jamaica, Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia (San Andrés y Providencia). :Native speakers 3.2 million (2000–2001) :Language family English creole Atlantic WesternJamaican Patois :Dialects Limonese Creole Bocas del Toro Creole Miskito Coast Creole San Andrés–Providencia Creole :"Jamaican Patois, known locally as Patois (Patwa or Patwah) and called Jamaican Creole by linguists, is an English-based creole language with West African influences (a majority of loan words of Akan origin) spoken primarily in Jamaica and among the Jamaican diaspora; it is spoken by the majority of Jamaicans as a native language. Patois developed in the 17th century when slaves from West and Central Africa were exposed to, learned and nativized the vernacular and dialectal forms of English spoken by the slaveholders: British English, Scots, and Hiberno-English. Jamaican Creole exhibits a gradation between more conservative creole forms that are not significantly mutually intelligible with English, and forms virtually identical to Standard English. :Jamaicans refer to their language as patois. The term patois comes from Old French, patois "local or regional dialect" (earlier "rough, clumsy, or uncultivated speech"), possibly from the verb patoier, "to treat roughly", from patte "paw", from Old Low Franconian *patta "paw, sole of the foot" + -ois, a pejorative suffix. The term may have arisen from the notion of a clumsy or rough manner of speaking. Linguists refer to the language as a creole. Creoles are often stigmatized as the "lesser" language even though the majority of the population speaks Jamaican patois as their mother tongue." Politics Crime "Jamaica has had one of the highest murder rates in the world for many years, according to UN estimates.9091 Some areas of Jamaica, particularly cities such as Kingston, experience high levels of crime and violence.92Some Jamaicans are hostile towards LGBT and intersex people,93 and there have been reported cases of mob attacks against gay people.949596 Male homosexuality is illegal and punishable by prison time.97" ---- }} Category:Countries Category:Central America Category:America Category:Geography Category:Colonialism Category:Decolonisation Category:Black Culture Category:Black History Category:History Category:Piracy